A method of this type is known from DE 10 2005 030 848 A1, with which method blade tip platings made of hard material particles can be applied, particularly also blades made of a nickel-based material or of a nickel-based alloy. In this method, first a nickel-based solder is applied to a blade made of a nickel-based material, in the region of the blade tip. Hard material particles comprising cubic boron nitride (CBN), coated with an active element, are then applied to the solder. When the solder is subsequently melted under a vacuum or protective gas to form a matrix that encompasses the hard material particles, a stable connection is produced between the hard material particles and the blade tip.
DE 44 39 950 C2 shows a method for producing a blade tip plating on a blade made of a titanium-based alloy. A solder is applied in layers to the blade. Hard material particles are then applied to the blade that is coated with the solder. The components of the solder are then melted, in order to encase the hard material particles within a matrix.
In the method known from DE 44 39 950 C2, to affix the hard material particles on the layers on the blade side, an outer layer of adhesive (thermoplastic plastic) is applied, wherein the actual adhesion can take place during or after covering. In contrast, individual hard material particles that are covered with a metal coating or a metallic pre-coating are affixed onto the surface of the blade is carried out via resistance welding. However, the hard material particles can also be mixed with a paste consisting of fluxing agent and the elemental components of the solder in powdered form, and then applied to the surfaces, before melting is carried out.
In principle, the need exists for an automation of the application of the hard material particles, since manually covering a film solder with individual hard material particles is a time-consuming and therefore costly process. However, more cost-effective methods, such as the galvanic application of hard material particles in a metallic matrix, result in a complete covering of the blade tip with hard material particles; the hard material particles cannot be selectively positioned at a feasible cost. A complete covering is undesirable, as it results in a substantial negative impairment of the fatigue strength of the blade.